revel

Siwa

Posted by revel | 19th November 2009

All the things I'd seen in Egypt up until last Thursday were, I thought, pretty cool. Then I went to Siwa. It has been by far the highlight of my time here so far.

Siwa, as I mentioned in my last post, is a desert oasis and town south of Alex near the Libyan border, an eight hour drive away. The Siwis are Berbers with their own special traditions and language (Siwi). It's a world away from the Egypt I've come to know, and I think there are a few reasons why that is so. Firstly, it's location, far from Egypt's urban centres, has, I imagine, enabled it to retain its own identity. Secondly, its size makes it very endearing after the craziness of Cairo, and to some extent Alexandria. It is so quiet, calm and still. It seems much more like 'North Africa' than 'Egypt'. I felt much more at ease among the Siwis than I do amongst most Egyptians. For once I didn't have to stare at the ground wherever I went, because no-one was ha

Continued | In Alexandria

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